The French myth language planning and policy in France and speakers attitudes towards their language(s) Presented by Stefanie Lang LG 474 Term 2 2010/2011
Languages spoken in France
Why Parisian French? Mid 15 th century: gain of power by the monarchy based in Paris variety spoken in the Île-de-France region gains prestige among nobility and becomes administrative language used by authors and poets leads to diglossia
First attempts of standardisation 1635: foundation of Academie française aims at standardising French, keeping it clear from borrowings first dictionary and grammar
First attempts of standardisation Stigmatisation of other varieties mauvais usage vs. bon usage attribution of certain characteristics to standard French (logic, clear, elegant, precise)
French Revolution: one nation, one language? Dilemma during French Revolution: French was language of the elite but should become the language of the nation liberté, égalité, fraternité only possible through a shared language regional languages were seen as a threat to nation-building, being the languages of the enemy and counter-revolutionists formal education of French in schools
The French crisis in the 20 th century Phonetic realisation evolves over time, written system cannot keep up with this development reluctance to change spelling as it mirrors the origin of French and reminds of its prestige any change means decay
The French crisis in the 20 th century discussion about anglicisms arises with 1 st and 2 nd World War the bigger the perceived threat, the bigger the control
The French crisis in the 20 th century Law in 1975 which prohibits the use of foreign terms in advertising, work contracts and any information officially disclosed by the government or private institutions Committee for terminology has to come up with French equivalents artificial and little known terms
The French crisis in the 20 th century with the creation of the EU in 1992, France made French the official language of the nation They signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, however it has not been ratified
The study Attitudes of speakers towards the national language and towards language policies If they impose English on us, we will only speak in French!
Hypotheses 1. Speakers of French consider standard French to be threatened with extinction 2. Borrowings are frowned upon which is why they must be prevented from entering into the French lexicon 3. It is the task of the speakers as well as of the state to ensure the prservation of the French language
Hypotheses 4. Speakers of French show a strong interest in their language 5. Speakers of French assess French positively and consider it to be one of the most important parts of French culture and identity 6. Speakers of French feel obliged to preserve their (linguistic) tradition
1. Speakers of French consider standard French to be threatened with extinction Table 1 Threat to the French language Oui Peut-être Non 6. Pensez-vous qu une autre/d autres langues peut/peuvent menacer 7 9 17 l avenir du français? Tout à fait Plutôt Indécis(e) Pas tellement Pas du tout d accord d accord d accord d accord 7 a. Les jeunes d aujourd hui parlent le français de plus en 15 11 4 3 - plus mal. 7 b. Les jeunes d aujourd hui écrivent le français de plus en. 17 9 5 3 - plus mal 7 c. Le français se détériore en France parce qu on parle d autres langues en France - 2 4 12 15
2. Borrowings are frowned upon which is why they must be prevented from entering into the French lexicon Table 2 Speakers attitude towards borrowings Tout à fait Plutôt Indécis(e) Pas tellement Pas du tout d accord d accord d accord d accord 7 d. Il est important de préserver la pureté du français en évitant les 1 5 9 16 2 emprunts aux langues étrangères. 7 e. On ne devrait pas employer Des mots anglais quand on parle - 7 4 16 6 français. Oui Non Indécis(e) 8. Percevez-vous les mots suivants comme français? a) le week-end 21 11 1 b) le football 23 10 - c) le e-mail 15 15 3 d) les peoples 2 30 1
3. It is the task of the speakers as well as of the state to ensure the preservation of the French language Table 3 Responsibility for preserving the French language Tout à fait Plutôt Indécis(e) Pas tellement Pas du tout d accord d accord d accord d accord 9 a. L état doit, sous forme de lois sur la langue, protéger le 1 9 8 10 5 français des mauvaises influences. 9 b. Les lois ne peuvent pas changer la façon de parler des 9 12 3 3 - gens. 9 c. Les Français doivent faire attention à la façon dont ils parlent pour que le français ne 7 13 8 4 - se détériore pas.
4. Speakers of French show a strong interest in their language Table 4 Current language legislation in France Oui Non Indécis(e) 10. Saviez-vous qu en France il ya des lois qui réglementent 21 12 - l usage du Français et des mots étrangers? 11. Connaissez-vous la 12 21 - Loi Toubon? 12. Trouvez vous qu une telle loi avec des pénalités 6 7 20 est exagérée?
5. Speakers of French assess French positively and consider it to be one of the most important parts of French culture and identity Table 5 Language as a characteristic of French culture and identity 13 a. La langue française fait Tout à fait Plutôt Indécis(e) Pas tellement Pas du tout d accord d accord d accord d accord partie de l héritage culturel 26 3 3 - - français. 13 b. Je suis fier/fière d être 12 14 5 1 1 Français.
6. Speakers of French feel obliged to preserve their (linguistic) tradition Table 6 Language as (positive) tradition Tout à fait Plutôt Indécis(e) Pas tellement Pas du tout d accord d accord d accord d accord 13 c. Nous devons à nos ancêtres 13 14 4 2 - de parler français. 13 d. Le français est une belle 24 8 1 - - langue.
Online Resources European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/commun/q uevoulezvous.asp?nt=148&cm=8&df=26/02 /2011&CL=ENG
Literature Barbour, Stephen and Cathie Carmichael (Eds.). (2000). Language and nationalism in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Salhi, Kamal. (2002) (Ed.). French in and out France: Language policies, intercultural antagonisms and dialogue. Oxford: P. Lang.